


7.05 "Petrolheads 2"

by Suryaofvulcan



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Virtual Season/Series, Warp 5 Complex Virtual Season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-14
Updated: 2007-12-14
Packaged: 2018-08-16 07:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8092405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suryaofvulcan/pseuds/Suryaofvulcan
Summary: Ladies and gentleman, start your engines! It's race day at the Boomer Grand Prix, but aboard Enterprise, the race is on to solve a mystery.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: Beta: Glory  


* * *

Ensign Travis Mayweather felt surprisingly calm as he eased Shuttlepod One into third place on the starting grid. He was excited about being here, about taking part and representing _Enterprise_ at this very Boomer event, but the butterflies in his stomach were just enough to keep him alert and focused, without pushing him over the edge. He could feel Lieutenant Malcolm Reed's excitement too, as his copilot rechecked the small stack of reference cards he'd made up to guide them around the course.

But today would be a much greater test of his own piloting skill than yesterday's qualifying lap. They would do twenty laps of the course, coping with the changing gravitational pull as the asteroids shifted position around them, but he would also have to contend with the other pilots on the course—those in front, and most especially those behind. He was particularly aware of Shuttlepod Two and her mysterious crew, just two places behind them. That was the competitor he wanted to beat the most. They were evenly matched, their equipment identical. Only piloting skill would separate them.

The preflight checks were complete, and he and Reed were strapped in and ready. Mayweather took a few deep, calming breaths as he waited for the signal from the _Sojourner_ that would begin the race.

"Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines." Elizabeth Franklin's voice crackled with excitement even over the comm. Then the famous former zero-g handball champion began her countdown. "Five, four, three, two, one." As always, a blast from the _Sojourner_ 's laser canon signaled the start of the race.

Mayweather pushed forward with everything they had, throwing himself and Reed back into their seats. If he could get past the two 'pods in front of them in the early stages, he could lead from the front and not have to worry about anything except stray asteroids on the course in front of him. But one of the 'pods in front of them sped away into clear space, while the second remained stubbornly directly in front of Mayweather and Reed.

He was peripherally aware of Reed calling out the turns along the intricate course, but his eyes were on the space around them. For the first time in his life, he wished that shuttlepods had rearview mirrors so that he could see what was happening behind. He didn't dare take his eyes from the course to look at the sensors, but his copilot could.

"Malcolm," he said. "Keep an eye on Shuttlepod Two and the rest of them. We don't want any nasty surprises coming up behind us."

"Aye, sir." If he'd turned round, he was sure Reed would have given him an ironic little mock salute. "Shuttlepod Two has gained one place," Reed reported. "They're about fifteen seconds behind us."

Damn! Now he would need to keep Shuttlepod Two off his back as well. He edged forward, looking for a way around the ship in front of them. If he could only get past it, and put that obstacle between them and Shuttlepod Two. There was one particular turn on the track where the pod in front always ran wide to avoid a tumbling, peanut-shaped asteroid. It was the racing line, but it left his inside vulnerable. If Mayweather could make a tighter turn, he could edge past them.

"Hang on, Malcolm," he called. "This could get a little rough."

He glanced behind him to see Reed holding onto his console. The shuttlepod groaned as Mayweather pulled alongside the other ship. Between the inertia trying to throw them in one direction and the asteroid's gravity trying to pull them in another, it felt like the little 'pod was being torn apart at the seams. Mayweather resisted the impulse to glance at the other pilot and stick his tongue out. He needed all his concentration for this. But at last they were through.

Second place, and ten seconds behind the leader. Could he make up that time in the ten remaining laps?

In another few laps, they were gaining on the leader. Mayweather was using every slingshot to increase their speed, but catching was one thing; passing another thing entirely. He doubted he could pull the same maneuver twice and get away with it, but if he could force the other pilot into a mistake...

"Shuttlepod Two has passed the other 'pod," Reed announced. "They're coming up behind us."

Mayweather could taste the adrenaline flooding his body. He wanted badly to win this race—for his ship and for his family. And maybe he still had something to prove to his brother, Paul, too. He simply couldn't let it go without a fight.

He pressed ahead, sticking the nose of the shuttlepod into the impulse wake of the other ship. It was a dirty tactic, but if he could disrupt their engines just enough...And there! The other ship was slightly off line. There was a gap between the edge of the course and that tumbling asteroid—not quite big enough, but he could make it bigger. With a shout to Reed to hang on, he pressed forward into the narrow opening.

But the other ship suddenly came across and reestablished its racing line, forcing Mayweather to swerve to avoid a collision. He fired the maneuvering thrusters just a little too hard, and suddenly the asteroid was enormous in the window.

"Brace for impact!" he yelled as the rock slammed into their side.

The collision wasn't as bad as he'd thought it was going to be, but it was bad enough. "You all right?" he asked Reed as soon as he'd moved them away from the spinning hunk of rock.

"I'm fine," Reed replied. "And there goes Shuttlepod Two," he observed sadly as another ship slid past them.

"It doesn't matter," Mayweather said, "as long as we're in one piece." Now that the fog of battle had lifted, he couldn't believe he'd been so reckless, and placed Reed's life in so much danger, just to prove a point to his brother.

"Well, we might be, but the 'pod isn't. We've lost the thrusters on the starboard side."

"Is that all?" Mayweather was surprised there wasn't more damage.

"Seems to be." Reed smiled ruefully at him. "Take us home, Travis."

* * *

Once again, Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker found himself hurrying toward the launch bay. Captain Jonathan Archer strode ahead of him, and even with his own long, loping stride, Tucker was having trouble keeping up with him. He could understand why Archer was in such a hurry. For one thing, Shuttlepod One had been forced into a collision with an asteroid. Reed had reported that they had sustained only minor damage, and neither he nor Mayweather were injured, but Tucker wouldn't rest easy until he knew his friends were safely back on board. But they also wanted to be there when Shuttlepod Two came home, to finally discover who had successfully defended _Enterprise_ 's honor. Tucker had to admit, he was itching to discover the answer to the mystery.

The launch bay was already depressurized when they arrived, and so they entered via the small, enclosed control room on the upper level, and watched through the clear airtight partition as Shuttlepod One approached the docking arm.

Suddenly Reed's voice erupted over the comm. " _Enterprise!_ Please be advised, we have a propellant leak in the main cabin," he coughed. "We'd be grateful if you'd repressurize the launch bay and allow us to exit before you bring in Shuttlepod Two."

"Acknowledged, sir," said the crewman on duty, rapidly entering the appropriate commands on his console.

Tucker tensed. Reed and Mayweather weren't in immediate danger, but the thrusters' chemical fuel was toxic in high concentrations. It would be advisable to get them out of the shuttlepod as quickly as possible.

As soon as the docking arm had retracted and the launch bay had repressurized, Tucker dashed out of the control room, Archer hard on his heels. As they reached the top of the ladder that led down toward the 'pod, the shuttlepod's airlock popped open, releasing a visible cloud of noxious gas that stung Tucker's nostrils. Then Reed and Mayweather emerged, gasping and spluttering, from the little ship. Tucker reached out a hand and pulled Reed up the ladder, then moved out of the way to allow Archer to do the same for Mayweather.

"You all right, Malcolm?" he said, laying a concerned hand on his friend's back as Reed bent over, hands on his knees, drawing in huge gasps of clean air.

"I'm fine," Reed spluttered at last, although his voice was scratchy and hoarse. Tucker noticed his eyes were red-rimmed and streaming.

"Yeah, right," Tucker said, not believing a word of it, as Archer ushered all of them back into the control room.

"Maybe you two should go to sickbay and let Doctor Phlox look you over," Archer suggested as the launch bay doors opened again, expelling the air and the toxic gas.

"We will, sir," Mayweather assured him, "just as soon as we find out who was flying the other 'pod. That was one hell of a maneuver they pulled back there. There can't be many people on board who can fly like that."

Shuttlepod Two was quickly reeled in and the bay repressurized. The hatch opened, and the group in the control room moved out onto the landing. Tucker held his breath as he waited for the pilot and copilot to emerge. At last a pair of turquoise-clad arms reached up and grasped the handrails, before a very familiar figure hoisted herself nimbly out of the shuttlepod. T'Pol! He glanced over at Archer, who was grinning with pride, a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

"Why, you son of a...you knew!" he said.

Archer turned to face him. "Yep," he admitted. "Not even the first officer can use a shuttlepod without permission."

"I thought you said you weren't interested in racing!" Tucker said to T'Pol as she joined them on the upper walkway.

She fixed him with her usual penetrating stare. "As I told you yesterday, the captain instructed us to make the most of this opportunity. I was merely following his suggestion that I make a study of humans in this competitive situation. Logically, the best way to do so was to take part in the activity."

"Well, I'll be..." Tucker chuckled, joining in the laughter of Reed and the others. Suddenly he caught sight of the figure who had climbed out of the shuttlepod behind T'Pol. "Hess!" he barked. "What the hell did you think you were doing, taking the 'pod out without talking to me?" His tongue was firmly in his cheek as he chewed out his second in command.

"Well, sir, I just assumed that Commander T'Pol had handled all the relevant paperwork," Lieutenant Hess retorted, trying to look innocent despite the familiar glint of mischief in her eyes. Although Tucker had started out as her mentor, the two of them had developed a friendly rivalry over the last six years.

Tucker's expression softened into a wide grin. His engineering team had come through after all.

"Travis!" a familiar voice called, and his brother, Paul, jogged down the corridor and came to rest beside them. "What was that insane stunt?" he cried, clearly more frightened for his brother than angry. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Mayweather wheezed. "Propellant leak," he added in a rasp, waving at his throat as if in explanation.

Before he could say more, Paul grabbed him in a bear hug. "Insane, but if it had worked, brilliant," he said, letting his brother go. "Alyssa and Ken say congrats for not blowing up spectacularly." Alyssa was their sister. She and her husband, Ken, were among the spectators in the mess hall. He extended his hand to Reed next. "Malcolm. Nice job."

Reed shook the proffered hand. "Thanks," he croaked.

"It was really something to see from _Enterprise,_ " Paul continued excitedly. "And you have both got to hear what Elizabeth Franklin had to say about it in her commentary."

"Well done, all of you," Archer interrupted, his gaze taking in Reed and both Mayweathers as well as the two women. "But I think we'd better get these two to sickbay."

* * *

Ensign Hoshi Sato walked quickly along the corridor toward the launch bay, resisting the temptation to break into a run. Only thirty minutes ago, while tinkering with the comm system, she'd discovered that someone had made a copy of _Enterprise_ 's database. She had spent a few more minutes investigating, gathering as much information as possible about the incident, and then hurried to the mess so that she could deliver her findings to the captain in person.

The mess hall had been crowded with carousing Boomers and off-duty crew members, celebrating, she realized belatedly, the victory of Shuttlepod Two. Her discovery had caused her to miss the race, but that couldn't be helped. What she'd stumbled across was far more important.

She'd elbowed her way through the crowd and opened the door to the captain's mess, only to find it empty. She'd accosted a passing steward and inquired as to the whereabouts of the captain and Commander Tucker. The steward had directed her toward the launch bay.

She had to wait for the bay to repressurize before she could enter, but the doors opened just in time for her to see Commander T'Pol and Lieutenant Hess exiting the second shuttlepod. She allowed herself a small smile at the look of sheer astonishment on Commander Tucker's face as she approached the laughing group of senior officers. She hated to be the one to destroy their mood.

"Hoshi!" Captain Archer called, catching sight of her. "Come on over and meet the winning team."

"Congratulations, Commander, Lieutenant," she acknowledged the two other women and nodded toward Reed and Mayweather, who were coping with red, streaming eyes.

T'Pol simply inclined her head in acknowledgment, and Hess grinned as Tucker slung a friendly arm around her shoulders.

Tucker grinned and winked at Hess as he remarked pointedly: "I guess on Vulcan, it's a girl thing."

"Aye, sir," Sato said with a wry smile. She turned to the captain. "Sir, could I speak with you for a second?"

"Of course, Hoshi. What can I do for you?" He turned to her, patting Mayweather on the shoulder as the others moved away.

"Sir, I was trying to trim out some distortion in the comm system when I found this." She handed him the PADD containing her findings.

Archer frowned as he read her report. "Copied?" he said at last.

Reed's head jerked up and he turned in their direction. "Sir?"

"Yes, sir," Sato said. "Someone hacked into the system at some point last night and copied everything. I've checked a random sample of files going back several years, just to be sure. Everything's been copied—our files on the conflict with the Xindi, our investigation into Terra Prime, the attack on Alpha Centauri—all of it."

"A lot of which is classified information," Reed interjected. "But I'd be more concerned about current information, like the algorithms that generate our command codes." He turned to Sato. "Were they taken as well?"

She shook her head briefly. "They tried, but those algorithms are copy protected and encrypted. Any attempt to copy them just results in gibberish. They won't have gotten anything useful out of them."

"All the same, it's a serious breach of security. Any idea how it happened, Hoshi?"

"I'm not sure, sir. The computer didn't record an access code, so I'm inclined to suspect that it wasn't a member of the crew. On the other hand, if a crew member did want to point the finger at someone else, with so many Boomers on board, this would be an ideal opportunity."

Archer glanced around the launch bay. "Maybe we should move this discussion somewhere more private," he suggested. "Malcolm, if you and Travis wouldn't mind postponing your checkup with Phlox for a while, let's get up to the command center. Trip, Travis, get up to the bridge and take command. Hess, make sure engineering is secure. Everyone else is with me."

"Aye, sir," they chorused before heading off to their assigned tasks.

* * *

Archer considered the screens, which showed nine Boomer ships already forming up on the outer rim of the system for the opening lap of the big race, and although in previous years the personnel who were not involved in the race would have transferred to other Boomer ships for the duration, all of their crews were now aboard _Enterprise_. They'd just suffered a major security breach, and they still had dozens of spectators on board _Enterprise._ The person who'd perpetrated the data theft might very well still be on board, biding his time.

"Thoughts, Lieutenant?" he asked Reed.

Reed responded promptly. "Increase security in the critical areas of the ship, and keep the Boomers confined to the mess hall. It shouldn't be too difficult—most of them are here to watch the race on the large screens there." _  
_  
"Good. Take care of it." As Reed moved to a comm panel, Archer turned to Sato. "What else do we know?"

Sato sighed. "Not much, sir," she admitted. "Whoever did this hacked into the system. They didn't leave much of a trace."

"It's logical to assume one of the Boomers is responsible," T'Pol interjected. "Any crew member would have had the opportunity to copy files surreptitiously over a period of weeks or months, with a much lower probability of being detected."

"Agreed," Archer said. "We won't rule out Starfleet personnel, but let's concentrate our efforts on the Boomers. Did any of them have the opportunity to access our systems?"

"Plenty," said Reed, returning from issuing his orders. "As I recall, sir, they've virtually had the run of the ship for the last seventy-two hours. I admit it would have been difficult for one of them to do this via a terminal in one of the public areas of the ship, but it's not impossible."

"What about the time frame?" Archer said, turning back to Sato. "Didn't you say the download took place during the night? How many Boomers stayed on board overnight?"

He thought he saw a blush staining Sato's cheeks as she replied. "A few, sir. I understand there was a party in the mess hall that went on quite late. But even that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Whoever is responsible could have set the download up at some time during the day, but programmed it to run overnight, like we do when we back up the database."

T'Pol stepped forward. "If that were the case, the data storage device may still be onboard," she conjectured. "The perpetrator may have been planning to return to the ship today in order to retrieve it."

"Then it's imperative that we don't let anyone leave until we've conducted a thorough search," Reed said.

Archer nodded his agreement, impressed, as ever, by Reed's ability to absorb and adapt to new information. "T'Pol, can you and Trip have the science and engineering teams check our systems for any unauthorized interfaces?"

T'Pol gave a brief nod. "It will take some time, however."

"Maybe I can narrow it down a little," Sato volunteered. All three senior officers turned in her direction. "The system logged the time of each transfer. It's possible it also logged the location. I'd need to check—it'll be buried in the coding, if it's there at all."

"Do it," Archer said. Then he glanced at Reed and T'Pol. "Dismissed."

* * *

Sato sat at her station on the bridge, trying to ignore the tense atmosphere as she tapped at her console. As soon as they'd arrived from the command center, Archer had relieved Tucker and Mayweather, sending Mayweather to sickbay so that Phlox could finally examine him for any lingering effects of breathing the thruster propellant, and assigning Tucker to help T'Pol coordinate the search of their data systems.

Now he sat in the command chair, brooding as he studied a PADD, and Sato had to resist the impulse to glance over at him every twenty seconds or so. At least he wasn't looking over her shoulder. She did, however, occasionally glance at the viewscreen, which showed the progress of the race, although they had long since muted Elizabeth Franklin's commentary. Aimed at the crew members of the mostly empty ships, which were crewed only by hotshot pilots and their seconds, usually engineers, the commentary sometimes tended to be absurdly technical.

She had been working for almost an hour, digging into the machine code as she tried to discover where the download had taken place. It hadn't been easy. At first it had appeared that the data had been downloaded at numerous locations throughout the ship: in the mess hall, in sickbay, in one of the cargo bays, and even on the bridge. She attempted to piece together a trail, trying to correlate times and locations, but it didn't make any sense. No one person could have made it from D to E deck, for example, in a matter of a few seconds, and besides, many areas, like the bridge, had been off-limits to the Boomers even before they'd discovered the security breach.

She realized she was actually looking at a sophisticated piece of programming. Whoever had made the copies had also planted a false trail, generating a new false location code each time a new file was copied. But there had to be some kind of pattern—she just had to find the right algorithm to decode it.

The work was slow and tedious. The first three algorithms she tried yielded nothing except three more sets of random locations, but the fourth...she could see it, the pattern revealing itself before her eyes as the data transformed itself from gibberish to coherence. It was almost magical. She felt her heart rate increase in anticipation. A single location code blinked in her screen. Fingers flying as she entered the commands, she quickly traced it.

She stopped, a sudden cold sweat pricking the back of her neck and the strange metallic tang of adrenaline filling her mouth as the computer yielded its dreadful secret.

Her quarters. The download had taken place in her quarters.

Images and memories filled her mind: Adonis's warm brown eyes and easy smile as they talked and bantered back and forth; Adonis, apparently reluctantly following her to C deck and into her quarters; Adonis kissing her passionately as they tumbled into her bed. Adonis, standing silhouetted in the light from her terminal in the wee hours of the morning.

Adonis.

"Captain." Even her quiet salutation shattered the silence on the bridge.

Archer glanced up from his PADD. "You've found something?" He started toward her.

"Yes, sir." Her mouth was so dry that she could barely force the words out. It was her fault. She'd been so wrapped up in having fun that she'd been completely blind to his real intentions. Had he planned something like this all along, or had she simply been a convenient opportunity?

"What is it, Hoshi?" Archer said, his brow furrowing in concern.

"I—I know who downloaded the database, sir. It was Adonis Kyrellis, the _ECS Magellan_ 's pilot."

"How do you know?"

"We...spent the night together last night," she admitted. "The download took place in my quarters. I—I caught him using my terminal this morning. He said he was contacting his ship, checking in, and I believed him at the time, but...this is my fault, sir. I should have been more careful." She fought to keep her face impassive, her demeanor professional. "Obviously, he was completing his download. My quarters were perfect—I have expedited access to the data he required, although of course it was password protected and encrypted. He went to a lot of trouble to cover his tracks." Just as, she now realized, he had gone to a lot of trouble to target her.

"You're sure it was him?" Archer asked.

"Yes, sir. I can't think of any other logical explanation," Sato said.

Archer nodded. "All right. Where's this Kyrellis now?"

Sato indicated the viewscreen. "He's out there, running in third place, if I'm not mistaken."

"Good," Archer said, "then he's occupied for the moment. Let's tell the others what you've found. And disable the expedited access, would you?"

"Already done, sir," Sato responded. It was one of the first things she'd taken care of when she'd realized what had happened.

* * *

Captain Archer glanced up from the terminal in his ready room as he heard the door chime sound.

"Come in," he called, standing up, well aware that his height in the small, low-ceilinged room could appear intimidating. For this meeting, he wanted it that way.

A thorough search of Sato's quarters had revealed nothing they didn't already know. Kyrellis must have taken the data module back to the _Magellan_ with him when he left. Archer wanted to determine whether he'd been acting alone or was part of a larger conspiracy.

The door slid open. "Sir," Reed said, ushering a short, rotund man who looked to be in his midsixties into the room. "This is Captain Werner Sommer, of the _ECS Magellan_."

"Captain Archer," Sommer said. "To what do I owe this...honor?"

Archer noted the hesitation, as well as the man's slight German accent. He recalled that the _Magellan_ was one of the few exclusively European Boomer ships. He supposed it was an unusual experience for the Boomer captain, being frog-marched to a meeting with his Starfleet opposite number, although he knew that Reed would have been unfailingly polite about it.

"I wanted have a talk with you about your pilot, Mr. Kyrellis."

Sommer's face remained impassive. "An able pilot," he observed, "as you will see from his performance in the race."

Archer frowned. Was this just natural Boomer reticence about dealing with Starfleet, or something more sinister? "I understand he hasn't been with you for very long?"

"A little less than one year. Why do you ask?"

Archer ignored the question. "How did you meet up with him?"

"Our previous pilot met a young woman from one of the lunar colonies on our last visit to Earth, and he decided to remain there with her. Mr. Kyrellis heard that we were looking for a pilot and approached us. His references were good, and he proved to be compatible with the rest of the crew, so I hired him. Why are you asking these questions, Captain?" Sommer's tone had grown increasingly abrupt and suspicious.

"We have reason to believe he acted improperly while on board _Enterprise,_ " Reed said.

Sommer glanced at him before turning back to Archer. "What do you mean?" The surprise and apprehension in his voice sounded genuine.

Archer crossed his arms. "We believe he may have accessed some classified data files. Can you think of any reason why he might do that?"

"Certainly not, Captain. My crew were curious about your ship, of course, but I can't imagine any of them deliberately doing anything like that. Could it have been an accident? Perhaps he was looking for something innocent, and came across the files inadvertently?"

Archer shook his head. "Definitely not. He tried very hard to cover his tracks. Only our communications officer's tenacity was able to uncover what he'd done." He extended a PADD. "The results of our research. I assure you that all of this is genuine."

Sommer took the PADD, and as Archer waited as patiently as he could, Sommer flipped through the data. When he looked up, a good two minutes later, his demeanor had changed. Now he looked really alarmed. "Captain, I assure you, I didn't know about any of this. He was not acting under instructions from me."

Archer had always relied as much on his instincts as on his intellect when trying to determine whether someone was lying, and his gut was telling him that this man was telling the truth. He stepped back, leaning against his desk, no longer towering over the man. "Then I need to talk with Mr. Kyrellis as soon as the race is over. And...the module with the stolen data is probably aboard your ship."

"If you'll allow me to use your comm system, I could contact him right now," Sommer offered. "Pull him out of the race."

"We don't want to do anything that would tip him off," Archer said. "Better to just allow him to finish the race as normal. We can bring him in when he returns to pick up the spectators from your crew."

Captain Sommer folded his arms, gazing thoughtfully at the floor. After a few moments, he glanced up at Archer. "In that case, Captain, I'll give you every assistance. Adonis Kyrellis may have become part of the _Magellan's_ family in the last year, but every family relies on trust. If he has done what you are accusing him of, we can no longer afford to trust him." He held up the PADD and added, "And it seems that you have very good evidence."

"Thank you, Captain," Archer said.

"Bridge to Captain Archer," Sato's voice sounded over the comm.

Archer pushed the button on his desk, relived that they'd reached this understanding before they'd been interrupted. "Go ahead, Hoshi."

"I thought you'd want to know, sir, the race will be ending in a few minutes. The lead ship is just starting the final lap."

"Acknowledged," he said. He gestured to Reed, who opened the door, and all three of them walked onto the bridge.

The viewscreen showed a schematic of the course, superimposed on an image of the lead ship as it negotiated the final part of it. The _ECS Magellan_ was still lying in third place, almost a minute behind the leader.

Elizabeth Franklin was once again providing the commentary. "And this is an amazing victory for the _Stargazer_ ," she said, "to come back from sixth on the starting grid to win this race for the first time. With just a few more seconds to go before she crosses the finishing line for the last time, the _Faraday_ has no chance of catching up with her. Marina Xavier will go home empty-handed this time."

The _Stargazer_ crossed the finishing line to a barrage of pulse-cannon blasts from the noncompeting ships, and Archer imagined he could hear the cheers from the mess hall, four decks down. He glanced across at Captain Sommer, but the other man's features were set, still watching the screen.

Seconds later, the _Faraday_ crossed the line, and Archer was about to suggest that they open a comm channel to the _Magellan_ so that Captain Sommer could order his pilot to dock with _Enterprise_ when he saw the _Magellan_ leave the marked course, still traveling at its maximum speed, and head out into open space.

"Captain?" he said, turning to Sommer.

The other man's expression was one of sheer outrage and shock. " _Verdammt_! He's stealing my ship!"

"Travis," Archer said, "pursuit course, maximum warp."

"Aye, sir," Mayweather acknowledged from the helm. "But we'll have to negotiate the asteroid field at impulse."

"Hoshi, signal the other Boomer ships that we're in pursuit of the _Magellan_. We don't want them thinking we're kidnapping their crews. And have someone make an announcement in the mess hall as well. They'll have seen what happened on the screen, so it shouldn't be a surprise."

"Aye, sir."

Archer cursed his decision to bring _Enterprise_ inside the ring of asteroids, but that was where the Boomer ships had congregated, and it had seemed like a reasonable decision at the time.

"T'Pol, do you still have him on sensors?"

"Yes, Captain. He appears to be heading for a neighboring system, course zero-four three, mark, zero four seven."

They lost precious minutes negotiating the asteroid field, but finally Mayweather was able to go to warp 5.

* * *

Hoshi Sato seethed silently as she sat at her station, sending out continuous hails to the _ECS Magellan_. The _Magellan_ , of course, was not answering.

Her initial shock and embarrassment at discovering Adonis's deception had subsided into cold fury, and Archer's kindness and understanding about the issue had only made matters worse. Maybe he didn't hold her mistake against her, but she did. How could she have relaxed her guard so easily, after everything? After Tarquin, the telepathic alien who'd deceived her in the Expanse, after the parasites the Xindi reptilians had injected into her brain, how could someone so ordinary, so human, have walked into her life and taken her completely unawares?

But she had felt safe with Adonis simply because he _was_ human. He should have been a friend, an ally. Even after a Starfleet admiral had been revealed to be a spy, none of them had really expected one of their own kind to deceive them again.

If she ever got her hands on him...

At last Mayweather negotiated the last of the asteroids and went to warp 5. They were ten minutes behind the _Magellan_ but would be able to catch up easily with the much slower cargo ship.

"Hoshi, put me on audio," Archer said. "If he doesn't want to talk, he can just listen."

Sato nodded to indicate she had carried out the order.

Archer glanced at Captain Sommer before he spoke. " _ECS Magellan_ , this is _Enterprise_. Drop out of warp and prepare to be boarded."

There was no response. The _Magellan_ didn't slow down or change course.

"Captain, I'm picking up something on sensors," Reed announced as they gained on the smaller ship. "It's another ship."

"More Boomers?" Archer asked.

"No, sir, it's much larger. The power signature is...Romulan." Reed all but growled the last word.

"They must have disengaged their cloaking device," T'Pol said.

"Tactical alert, Lieutenant Reed," said Archer.

"There's a power surge from the Romulan vessel," Reed said. "They're charging weapons."

"Brace for impact. Malcolm, prepare to return fire."

"With pleasure, sir."

Sato hung onto her console as the Romulan ship's weapons discharged. _Enterprise_ shuddered.

"Direct hit. Minimal damage," Reed reported. "Sir, they're going to warp."

Sato glanced at the viewscreen in time to see the Romulan ship speeding away from the system, cloaking as it went. She could see Archer grinding his teeth in frustration.

"T'Pol, can you trace their course?"

T'Pol shook her head. "Negative, Captain. Their cloak is effective."

"Not like the Romulans to run from a fight," he remarked to no one in particular.

"The _Magellan_ has dropped out of warp," T'Pol said.

"Finally," Captain Sommer grumbled.

Archer shot him a glance.

"There are no life signs aboard the _Magellan_ ," T'Pol continued. "I believe I may have detected a secondary power surge on the Romulan vessel while it was firing on us—it may have been a transporter beam."

"They used the distraction to beam Kyrellis off that ship," Archer growled. "Malcolm, arrange a security detail and meet me and Captain Sommer in the launch bay. We're going aboard. Let's do it fast before the _Magellan_ hits something."

"Aye, sir."

Archer turned to Captain Sommer. "Let's get over to your ship."

* * *

Archer allowed Reed to take his team in first. He hung back in the shuttlepod with the chagrined Captain Sommer while the security officers made a thorough sweep of the command area, common rooms, and crew quarters of the small Boomer vessel.

"As we expected, sir, there's no one on board," Reed reported as the two captains stepped through the airlock.

"Any sign of the data module?" Archer asked.

"No, sir. Most likely he would have had it on his person when he was beamed off the ship." Reed's answer wasn't exactly unexpected. The storage device would fit easily into a pocket.

"Captain, with your consent I'd like my science officer to examine your database," Archer addressed Sommer.

Captain Sommer gave him a long, assessing stare. "Of course, Captain," he said at last, "but I assure you, neither I nor the rest of my crew were party to this."

"Still, Kyrellis may have used your system to make a backup copy," Reed said.

Sommer simply nodded.

"I take it you can fly your ship back to Ceti Beta?"

"Certainly, Captain." Sommer gave him a wry smile. "I assume you'll want your security men to remain on board?"

Archer nodded. Sommer obviously wasn't as naive as he'd initially appeared.

_Enterprise_ returned to Ceti Beta at a much slower pace, escorting the _Magellan_. Once they were back among the Boomer ships, T'Pol and Sato examined her database, but they didn't find any trace of the data stolen from _Enterprise_. It wasn't exactly a surprise, but it still rankled. Finally, Archer reluctantly agreed to allow the Boomer crew back on board.

As the race meeting drew to a somewhat subdued close, _Enterprise_ 'smess hall once again played host to a large contingent of Boomers. Elizabeth Franklin stood on a makeshift dais at one end of the room, having handed out small trophies to the three winners. Archer stood off to one side, amused in spite of himself at the sight of T'Pol solemnly accepting a small cup that had obviously been decorated by some Boomer child. He noticed Travis's brother, Paul, off to the side, standing with his arm around Lisa Kearney, the captain of the _Fortitude,_ and Archer smiled to himself: the budding romance was flowering, if the look Paul was giving Lisa meant what he thought it meant.

Franklin held up her hand for quiet, and as the noise subsided, she began to speak.

"Friends, this race meeting has traditionally been a time for fun; a time to celebrate our victories, commiserate over our defeats, to drink our fill, to meet with our friends, and to reunite with our families, to remember those we've lost," she said. She paused a moment, head bowed. Archer knew she was remembering Jacqueline Kearney, Lisa's mother, who had been a negotiator, along with Franklin, at the doomed Alpha Centauri trade talks. Kearney had died in the Romulan attack on the negotiate site. Franklin had still been on a lunch break—ironically, Kearney had called her and told her they were running late. Franklin continued, "This year we discovered we are not immune to lies and treachery. One of our own betrayed us—betrayed Earth and all humans. It hurts, but we can learn from that mistake, to be vigilant about whom we trust and whom we welcome into our families." She paused, gazing around the sea of solemn faces. She smiled. "But this year also brought us new friends. Our friends from _Enterprise_ proved themselves to be worthy competitors, happy to play our games by our rules. I know all of you will join me in welcoming them to our next meeting, should they happen to be in the area."

There was a general "hear, hear" from the crowd, and Archer felt a small surge of pride. Recent events aside, Adonis Kyrellis's actions had actually strengthened alliances here.

Later Archer sat in his ready room, trying to compose his report for Starfleet. It was embarrassing having to admit to the security breach, yet he couldn't regret his decision to attend the race meeting, or to allow the Boomers access to the ship. They were out here to explore, to make friends. They couldn't do that by cutting themselves off from human contact.

The sound of the door chime broke into his thoughts. "Come in," he said wearily.

The door opened, and T'Pol stepped into the room. He smiled again as he noticed the homemade trophy she held in her hands.

"Captain, I believe I should give this to you," she said, holding it out to him.

"Me?" he asked, surprised. "Why?"

"I entered the race at your suggestion," she said. "You might say, I raced as your representative."

"Uh-huh," he said, taking the trophy and placing on the shelf above his desk. "I'm guessing it doesn't go with the decor in your quarters?"

She simply raised an eyebrow at him. He took it as a yes.

Archer sat back down at his desk and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. The interruption had been welcome, but the report wasn't going to write itself.

"You seem troubled, Captain."

"I am," he admitted. "This thing with Kyrellis bothers me. Who was he, really?"

"Starfleet investigators will no doubt do their best to uncover his background."

"I know, but...was he just an opportunist thief, selling to the highest bidder, or was he always a spy?"

"It's unlikely we will ever know for certain," T'Pol said, "but I think it's most likely he was the latter."

"Yes," Archer said. "That's what worries me."


End file.
